What it is: Named after the Indonesian sword that cuts down its enemies, the .45 Caliber KRISS XSMG submachine gun’s innovative design really shows itself off in the fully automatic mode. You don’t have to fight the recoil or muzzle climb as you would with other fully automatic weapons, making this future weapon a breeze to use.

What it does: The powerful .45 round has finally been tamed. While most machine guns kick like a mule, the revolutionary firing mechanism on the KRISS -- the Super V -- directs the recoil downwards, instead of directly into your shoulder, like other weapons.

Why war needs it: On today’s battlefields, there are no second chances. The time it takes to make an adjustment almost certainly means your demise. You need a fast, compact and accurate weapon, as well as a powerful round like the .45 Cal (operating at 4,500 rounds per minute on full-auto) for unsurpassed knock-down power.

Active duty: At the moment, the KRISS is still in final testing, and is used and operated by the controversial security and mercenary firm, Blackwater.

What it is: Remember that ridiculously long-range soup-can shot in the Mark Wahlberg film, Shooter? Well, that was the Cheytac Intervention M-200. The CheyTac Intervention’s Long Range Rifle System (LRRS) shoots farther than any other weapon, ever. It is accurate just beyond 2,500 yards, which makes hitting your target akin to the enemy being struck down by God.

What it does: The magic behind the custom-made 408 caliber round lies in the system that supports it. At the center of the LRRS is the tactical ballistic computer (essentially a PDA featuring ballistic software) where wind speed, resistance, muzzle power, and the earth’s rotation are factored into the shot. This computer is linked with the Nightforce NXS 5 5-22X night-vision scope, the Kestrel 4000 sensors and the Vector IV laser rangefinder. It carries a precision range of 2,187 yards

Why war needs it: The CheyTac Intervention M-200 takes the guesswork out of sniping and you can save the lives of the infantry on the ground while stationed miles from the action. With all the battlefield variables accounted for, the M-200 produces world record setting kill shots, landing three bullets within 16 and 5/8 inches at 2,321 yards. With the Cheytac Intervention, one shot always means one kill.

Active duty: The CheyTac Intervention M-200 is a standard-issue weapon for Turkey’s Special Forces team, the Maroon Berets and the Marines of the Turkish Army.

Active Denial System - Credit: GlobalSecurity.orgDeveloper: U.S. Military

What it is: Is your fleet facing an unruly mob supported by small-arms fire? No worries, just roll out the Active Denial System (ADS) and they’ll disperse like ants under a magnifying glass. The ADS uses an invisible electromagnetic radiation beam to deliver a non-lethal burning sensation to the skin of its directed adversary.

What it does: The ADS delivers a beam of electromagnetic radiation, at a frequency of 95 GHz, (much higher than a microwave oven’s 2.45 GHz) and gradually heats water molecules on your skin to 130F at a distance of up to 500 yards. While it doesn’t burn you, penetrating only 1/64 of an inch of skin, it does exploit your autonomic response to pain.

Why war needs it: The ADS can disrupt, dissuade and disperse any hostile mob using non-lethal force with little effort. However, there are still questions about its potential application as a weapon of torture and whether it truly has no lasting effects on the human body.

What it is: The CBU-97 is the Air Force’s smartest 1,000-pound class freefall cluster bomb. It can search a radius of 1,500 feet and can literally clear a battlefield of tanks, vehicles and bunkers.

What it does: The CBU-97 is like a space shuttle launch in reverse. The outside shell falls away to reveal the 10 BLU-108 submunition units. Each unit uses rocket power and a small parachute to right it vertically and help spin the four hockey-puck sized skeets out from their holding unit. The skeets deploy and search out enemy targets using their laser sensors to zero in and rain down explosive molten copper.

Why war needs it: To have smart skeets that can pinpoint and follow enemy targets means that more innocent lives than ever before aren’t needlessly taken, thus reducing civilian casualties.

Active duty: The CBU-97 Sensor Fused Bomb was first used during the March 2003, invasion of Iraq.